Presse

2017

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE

Note : 91-93

With a bit more Syrah than the Tradition, the 2017 Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret Grande Reserve comes across as slightly peppery and herbal, with baked blackberry fruit accented by baking spices (40% of the assemblage spends two years in demi-muids). It’s full-bodied, rich and supple across the mid-palate, with tangy red berries and softly dusty tannins on the long finish.

2016

ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE

Note : 90-92

A tank sample of the 2016 Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret Grande Reserve looked lush and rich on my August visit. The tannins are suppler than usual, the fruit heading into blueberries and licorice while picking up a trace of warmth on the finish.

I assume a similar blend (these labels are nightmares where it comes to distinguishing which wine is which, and what the differences are), the 2016 Séguret Grand Reserve is knockout stuff and ticks all my boxes. A fabulous perfume of blueberries, kirsch, ground pepper, violets, and crushed rocks is followed by a voluptuous, expansive Rhône that has full-bodied richness, an expansive texture, rocking mid-palate depth, and sweet tannins. It’s a sensational Séguret that will instantly transport you to these gorgeous limestone hillsides in the south of France.

The 2015 Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret Grande Reserve, tasted from barrel, is riper and richer than the Tradition, but it still retains bright mulberry flavors and the crisp, tannic backbone that are hallmarks of this estate’s vineyards. It’s 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah, aged in three-year-old Burgundy barrels.

2014

DECANTER

Note : 91

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2017 SILVER MEDAL

JANCIS ROBINSON

Note : 16,5/20

Tank sample. 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 60 year-old vines on steep slopes. Just 20 hl/ha. 40% aged in oak barrels and the rest in concrete like the Tradition bottling. Deep crimson. Pretty gamey nose with masses of ripe fruit. Ahint of icing sugar, it’s so sweet on the nose but not at all on the palate. Good, fresh fruit and acidity and, like the Tradtion, marked tannins – but in this wine he concentration of fruit provides more distraction – and perhaps the lack of Carignan helps. No obvious oak. Very ambitious. 14,5% Drink 2017-2022.

JEB DUNNUCK

Note : 90

A blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah that was brought up in 60% concrete tanks and 40% French oak, the 2014 Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Grande Réserve offers a forward, elegant style that just begs to be drunk. Black raspberries, saddle leather, cured meats and assorted street market-like aromatics give way to a medium-bodied, elegant 2014 that’s already drinking nicely, yet will keep for 4-6 years given its balance and purity.

WINE ENTHUSIAST

Note : 91

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 91

This has a rich core of blackberry and raspberry fruit, offset by grippy alder and tobacco accents, along with a twinge of iron through the finish. Solidly built. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2022. 3,500 cases made – James Molesworth.

2013

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 91

Ripe and racy, with excellent definition to the cassis, blackberry and raspberry fruit, supported by light bramble and anise accents and driving through the chalk-edged finish. Drink now through 2021. 3,500 cases made.

JANCIS ROBINSON

Note : 16,5+/20

65% Grenache, 35% Syrah, vine age 60 years. A mixture of clay, limestone and grey sandstone on steep slopes. 20 hl/ha. Ageing: 40% oak barrels, blended with 60% concrete vats. Smells elegant and a little smoky and just a touch red fruited, smells as if it will taste fresh. It has the Mourchon elegance but the fruit seems rather suppressed on the palate, perhaps it needs time to blossom? A bit flat on the finish, as if that restraint has gone a little too far. Perhaps just needs a bit longer to become more expressive. (JH)

2012

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 90

A pure, sleek style, with blackberry, black currant and plum fruit set on a graphite spine and backed by a lightly singed mesquite note on the finish. Solid. Drink now through 2017. 4,000 cases made.

JANCIS ROBINSON

Note : 17/20

Refined, fragrant dark fruit. These Rhône village wines seem so deliciously mineral in this vintage. Powder-fine tannins but still with an overall firmness. Rocky framework filled out with restrained and dark fruit. Elegant and withheld at the moment. Delicious. GV (JH)

2011

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 90

This is solid, with a nice core of crushed plum, blackberry and boysenberry fruit, lined with lightly briary tannins and framed by a graphite note on the finish. Drink now through 2015. 2,500 cases made.

JANCIS ROBINSON

Note : 16,5/20

60 year-old vines. 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah. 20 hl/ha. 40% oak and 60% concrete. Scary alcohol level but all that power is well managed. There is real meat to this wine, unlike so many 2011 southern Rhône reds. Also a slightly charred note on the nose. But there has obviously been an attempt to make this wine presentable in polite company. The finish is sweet, but mellow rather than alcoholic. Pretty good value at 14 euros in France. Definitely tastes above its station even if it is not quite as glorious as some vintages of this wine. But it’s as good as some Gigondas.

2010

VINOUS

Note : 92

(made from two-thirds grenache and one-third syrah): Opaque ruby. Heady scents of red berry preserves, lavender, anise and sandalwood, lifted by a peppery topnote. Offers intense, palate-staining raspberry and cherry-cola flavors that gain weight with air. Impressively lively and pure on the persistent finish, which features gentle tannins and a late note of bitter chocolate.

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 90

Ripe and concentrated, but very silky and refined, with lots of black tea and incense swirling around the core of cassis, blackberry and plum fruit. The long, anise-infused finish has an iron hint as well. Drink now through 2015. 3,000 cases made.

JEB DUNNUCK

Note : 93

Possibly the best wine I’ve tasted from this estate, the smoking good 2010 Grande Réserve is a blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah that would pass undetected in a lineup of top-quality Châteauneuf-du-Papes. Boasting a vivid purple color as well as knockout aromatics of raspberry, spice, licorice, garrigue, and hints of flowers, this full-bodied Séguret is an incredibly complete wine that has nothing out of place, fantastic concentration, and a seamless, layered profile. Quite fresh and still tight now, it should be given 2-3 years in the cellar, and then consumed over the following 7-8 years.

Dark and juicy, with a lovely espresso and tobacco frame to the dark fig, cassis and violet core. Long and rich through the finish, but with graphite-led cut that adds serious length. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2013. 3,300 cases made.

JEB DUNNUCK

Note : 93

A blend of 65% old-vine Grenache and 35% Syrah that’s aged in a combination of 60% tank and 40% barrel, the 2009 Domaine de Mourchon Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Grande Réserve is a spectacular ’09 that’s even better than the brilliant 2007. It delivers a beautifully complex array of black cherry liqueur, lavender, leafy herbs, and pepper that gives way to a voluptuously styled, round, supple southern Rhône that has more in common with a top Vacqueyras or Châteauneuf-du-Pape than a Séguret. This is a region, and more importantly, a producer, to watch. This beauty is delicious now, yet has more than enough concentration and balance to drink nicely for upwards of a decade.

JANCIS ROBINSON

Note : 16,5/20

Dunno what Mourchon have been putting on their corn flakes but their wines are amazingly alcoholic this year – two other cuvees 16% according to the label. Perhaps they are being frank when others dare not? Anyway, the heat is not overpowering in this very true-to-type wine with lots of herbs and spices, though it is pretty sudden on the finish. Lots of animal gaminess, and sweetness at first. Very well made though not made for the very long term.

2007

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 92

This is impressive for its array of dark fig, espresso, currant paste and hoisin sauce notes all laid over a tangy, minerally spine that drives the finish along. Mesquite, charcoal and braised beef notes add further dimension. Drink now through 2013. 3,750 cases made.

JEB DUNNUCK

Note : 92

Much more perfumed and spicy than the ’06, the 2007 Domaine de Mourchon Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Grande Réserve, same elevage and blend, sports awesome aromatics of garrigue, wild strawberry, and kirsch fruit, dried flowers, and loads of minerality that comes though on the finish. Seductive and complex on the nose, the wine doesn’t lose a beat on the palate and possesses beautifully ripe fruit, a round, soft texture, fresh acidity and enough tannin to allow this to evolve and drink well over the next 10 years. This is a superb wine the really highlights the beauty of the vintage. Well done!

2006

WINE ENTHUSIAST

Note : 89

Hints of caramel and toasted almond mark the nose of this oak-aged wine. The cherry fruit still comes through, especially on the creamy-textured midpalate. Firms up on the finish, adding notes of vanilla and licorice. Drink now–2015.

A blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah from 60 year old vines, the 2006 Domaine de Mourchon Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Grande Réserve has 40% of the blend aged in oak barrels. Despite the similar elevage to the ’07, this is distinctly different and is much more dark and dense with black cherry, road tar, licorice and toasted spice and wood notes. There’s solid depth and richness and I expect that the bouquet will gain complexity and interest with another year or two in the cellar. Clearly outstanding on the palate, the wine is medium+ bodied with a solid, quality texture, ripe fruit, and a compact, dense personality that carries into the finish. Give this another couple of years in the cellar and then drink over the following 5 to 8.

2005

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 91

Impressive, showing lots of juicy plum, currant and boysenberry fruit, with hints of garrigue, tar and licorice. There’s plenty of toast on the finish, but also solid minerality. Drink now through 2009. 2,915 cases made.

2004

VINOUS

Note : 90

Dark ruby color. Aromas of ripe blackberry and currant, lifted by a violet perfume. Rich and sappy, showing dense dark berry and licorice flavors and firm but well-knit tannins. This is almost viscous on the finish, with a concentrated inky cherry character.

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 90

Ripe, powerful blackberry and currant fruit cuts a broad swath, while tobacco, garrigue, loam and game notes fill in behind it. Nice grip on the finish. Drink now through 2008. 2,500 cases made.

JANCIS ROBINSON

Note : 16/20

A little reduced on the nose but a great broad swathe of spicy fruit on the palate with lots of fine tannins too and personality. A mouthful of character! Slightly dry tannins on the finish.

2003

VINOUS

Note : 89

Saturated ruby color. Deep scents of creme de mure and espresso. Very ripe and plummy, with concentrated, warm berry flavors and darker suggestions of tobacco, bitter chocolate and tar. This shows the thick texture and dark fruit character of the vintage, and finishes with solid, chewy tannins. A powerhouse, but I find more purity in the Tradition.

WINE ENTHUSIAST

Note : 89

Matured in barrique for 9 months, this blend of Grenache and Syrah features intense cherry aromas accented by red plum notes—maybe even a hint of peach. Yet despite the evident ripeness it’s still on the firm side, with some tea-like tannins on the finish. Drink 2008–2013.

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 89

Rich, modern style with lots of bacony smoke weaving through raspberry and blackberry fruit. Picks up nice briar, ganache and game hints on the finish. Delicious. Drink now through 2007. 2,500 cases made.

2001

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 88

Rich and smoky, this modern-styled version sports lots of raspberry and blackberry fruit, along with bittersweet chocolate, bacon and espresso notes. It’s softened around the edges a bit now, but is still for fans of burly, toasty wines. Drink now through 2006. 2,500 cases made.

1999

WINE SPECTATOR

Note : 88

Beautiful. Dark, medium- to full-bodied and firmly tannic, with plenty of black fruit and a good dose of fresh, succulent acidity to move it forward and keep it on an even keel. Some iron, mineral and blood orange on the aftertaste suggest interesting terroir. Best from 2003 through 2008. 1,915 cases made.